Boomo Bugg Show 121825

[0:00] Now, get ready to roll Shoals, Decatur, Athens and all of Northwest Alabama and Southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM Sports Voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tigers, Tennessee and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9 The Score. Good afternoon and welcome here to the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird. Thank you so much for giving us free ride around the Tennessee. Brett Beaird, welcome in where UNA has a new offensive coordinator and Vegas has a new underdog for the shootout at the O.K. Corral.

Good afternoon, welcome in and how are you? Happy Thursday to you and the listeners. We'll break down the first round of the college football playoffs throughout the show. Caleb Suggs of the Decatur Daily Updates North Alabama High School boys and girls teams the week before Christmas. And Bill Bender is here right now to not only predict the college football playoffs first round, but to announce that Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia is the Sporting News College Football 2025 Player of the Year. That's going to be a good story to listen to from Mr. Bill there at the Sporting News.

Bill Bender, welcome in. How are you? Yeah, thanks for having me on. Well, I'll fire right back at you guys. So we did pick Diego for Fernando Mendoza. Top decision for our committee, our panel. You know, I did vote for Fernando for the Heisman, but you go with your committee and your team. And honestly, I think Diego is deserving of the award despite what happened last Saturday. And I'm a voter, too. So I know exactly what his Instagram message says. I was talking with Clark Lee and Diego a little bit yesterday.

I mean, he is – it's undeniable how talented he was for the Commodores this year. Mm-hmm. And I've been a Heisman Trophy voter over the years. And I always – obviously, you start with the stats. But to me, it also has a character issue, too. It's just – I mean, everybody's got their own different flavor for it. Personally, I always looked at the whole picture, you know. And I agree with you. If you just go by what he did on the field, I mean, how can you argue with him?

He is electric. But your thoughts about – as far as his future, he's not exactly the guy that's going to sit here and fit all the metrics at the NFL level. Will the NFL take a flyer on him? Because there's a lot of owners out there that might. Because, let's face it, he's going to sell merchandise wherever he goes. Yeah, the comparison, Harold, to Johnny Manziel is going to be made. Now, Johnny's career took a hard left turn off the field. And that was a huge part of that story.

That we can't ignore. Diego, none of that has happened. It's more about his confidence, his brash – you could say arrogance on the field. Language. Well, language, too. But, you know, that is a generation – like Clark Lee told me yesterday, it's in the article. He made a mistake, and he needs to do a better job of, you know, maybe not kicking the hornet's nest sometimes and keeping some of those thoughts within. I mean, we all have them. We all have those moments. But we don't – you just don't put them on Instagram and insult all of the Heisman Trophy voters.

It's just not a wise decision. Clark Lee's done an amazing job of revitalizing that Vanderbilt program. He had a quote in your article that I think sums up not only Pavia, but the entire Vanderbilt team right now. We talk about this team of misfits because we all have the feelings of being unwanted and needing to prove ourselves. And I quote, he is – talking to Pavia, he is the misfit of all misfits. Yeah, that was our – that was my favorite quote. That was an interesting quote. He's Rudolph.

Hey, well, I've got time to watch that one, ain't it? You know, between – what's his name? UConn Cornelius? Like, I'll watch that. I've always watched that a couple times. But, no, I think he's calling that underdog rule really well. And at the end of the season, they were playing as well as anybody. You know, they did lose the Alabama game. He had a couple turnovers. They did lose the Texas game, but he made a fourth-quarter comeback. And some people were into that. You know, this is – again, the three of us are all old school, you know, and I get that.

But some people were into that kind of attitude. And, you know, again, for us to vote for him, a little polarizing, you know. I'm getting some comments under the article that are no less flattering than what Diego said the other night. Well, I mean, let's face it, it's creating a conversation, to say the least, and that's what he's going to do. But wherever he goes from here, he's going to carry a narrative with him. It's going to sell for better or worse. Bill, let Diego do what he's going to do.

[5:26] What about this ball game coming up tomorrow night to get the playoff party started? We talked about the shootout, the OK Corral. For the longest, Bama in the eyes of Vegas has been the one-and-a-half-point favorite. Now they're the one-and-a-half-point dog. A lot of folks that had that happen, well, apparently they wait for the availability list. And a couple of DBs seem to be back for Oklahoma. But on the other side of the coil, it's like Alabama, might have a pair of prize-tied-ins that could be able to answer the bell as well.

Your thoughts about the flip of Bama going from the favorite to the dog by a point-and-a-half. Wait, which one are they now? They're the underdog at a point-and-a-half. I keep flipping this line, darn it. I think originally they were the dog. Well, I've got them winning the game. And I'm not just joking because I like you guys. I think if they can run the football and avoid the turnovers, I think it's a little more efficient, maybe over 60%. Got to be over that number in the completion percentage and got to be able to run the ball a little bit that they can go down to Norman and win.

Doesn't sound like weather's going to be an overwhelming factor. It's a good thing you boys aren't coming up here. Maybe wind. It's a good thing you guys aren't coming up to the Big Ten country this weekend. It is nasty up here. But, you know, weather is what it is. You've got to play through it. And I think Alabama wins a football game. I believe I put 22-17. It's kind of a defensive struggle. And if they do, it prolongs the Kaelin question that's been asked with Michigan.

And I don't think that's going away. Elaborate on that, Bill. I mean, we thought that, what was it, Sunday afternoon, he came out with a statement, reiterated it Monday. But these coaches, they're very well coached on how to say things. And a lot of folks say until Michigan gets somebody in there other than Kaelin DeBoer, the door is still open, particularly if you go by the message boards out of that part of the world. How realistic is it that that is still on the table? I mean, I would say it's realistic from the standpoint that they'll ask.

And Kaelin can say no. Now, the people down your way and some of the sources I'm hearing, and I tend to believe this, it would have to be really compelling for Kaelin to leave. Because he's in year two. I don't see him as somebody that's going to run away from the challenge of coaching Alabama. He did get him to college football playoff. If they win, they're going right back to the Rose Bowl where they were two years ago. I think, you know, despite the early season criticism, he's done a nice job there.

Now, I'll qualify that with this, Harold. He is a good fit at Michigan. He would be a good fit there. It's a question of do you believe Alabama or Michigan is the better job right now? I would say it's Alabama because you're not dealing with the cleanup that comes going to Michigan and all these scandals that that university has had in the last five years. I think that's the reason. Well, I've said three times that he's not going, and I don't see a high-profile coach going to Michigan considering those circumstances.

They've got so much to clean up, and I don't know if Ward-Emmanuel, again, is going to be hiring the next coach in Michigan with the investigation going on. Miami at Texas A&M. Let me reiterate again. This game is on TNT. It's not on ABC and ESPN. I know a lot of people at 11 o'clock are going to be wondering where in the heck is this ballgame. It is on TNT. In fact, two of the three games Saturday are on TNT. Marcel Reid, Carson back, of course, the quarterbacks.

Miami's got a very good defense. I don't know if they've seen the receivers, though. Which talented is Casey Concepcion, Mario Crawford. The A&M defense has given up points to 42 to Arkansas, 30 to South Carolina. You've got A&M winning, and I think the home field is the final advantage here. You've got A&M winning 24 to 21. But I still think it's going to be a tight game, Brent. The defense is the turnovers. If Marcel Reid turns it over like they did against South Carolina, they could run into some problems.

Miami's got some really good talent. The edge rushers, Ruben Bain, Haseem Messonore, good offensive line around Francis Malagoa. I mean, they had four guys on our whole American team this week. So it's not like they're not bringing talent. I think it's going to be the most entertaining game of the weekend. You know, Alabama-Oklahoma will be fun. It'll be a slug pass, but it'll be fun. This will be wide open, a good game. It comes down to which quarterback doesn't make the turnovers. I think Kyle Field makes a difference.

It would make more of a difference if they were playing in time and time. But give me the Aggies. Tulane and Ole Miss, like Alabama and Oklahoma, it's the rematch. We know what happened the last time. It was embarrassing, but Lane Kiffin was the boss at that time before he took the money and ran. People say, is it possible for Tulane to beat Ole Miss? Yeah, it's possible. The question, Bill, how likely is it? I think they'll compete. I'm interested to see how Ole Miss reacts to not having Lane on the sideline.

[10:42] Does it actually impact the team? Does it matter? It might not matter as much in this game. I think it will matter when they play Georgia. But Lane, they lost 45-10 the first time. Everybody's seen that box score. They couldn't throw the ball early. They're not going to need to show that they can throw the ball against Ole Miss. They can slow down this rushing attack led by Chambliss and Lacey. They torched Tulane on the ground last time. So I like Ole Miss to win. I think it will be a little more competitive, though.

I had to score around 34-19, which would mean Tulane would cover this monster 17-and-a-half point spread. If they don't, get ready for the complaining on social media, which will only get worse on that last game. I know we're going to talk about it here next. Yeah, and I'm also wondering, Trinidad Chambliss has announced that he is going to enter the transfer portal and probably go to see Lane again at LSU. If he doesn't play in this game, which may be up in the air a little bit, Austin Simmons would be playing in that game.

That's going to be interesting. But I think Pete Golden also, I agree with you, I think it's closer, but Pete Golden wants to show some people he can coach. Can James Madison stay within 20 of Oregon? You know, I don't know that they will. And this is going to be the one that everybody complains about if Oregon goes out there. And look, Oklahoma State went out to Oregon and lost by 60 points. So it's not like this would be a first-time thing. Oregon's a very talented football team, and I do think the Ducks are going to rout them.

I hope I'm wrong. I hope we get into the fourth quarter. We have a compelling football game, all those things. But it's hard not to pick Oregon here. And if the games that we just predicted turn out, you get into the quarterfinal round, and seven of the eight teams will be from the SEC or the Big Ten. So, I mean, that's something to keep in mind as we move forward and all the playoff decisions are made. When people complain that the SEC and the Big Ten are making all the decisions, this is why they are.

Thank you. That's exactly – again, you've nailed it. Great stuff, as always. We'll be off next week. I know you will be, too. Listen, we cherish our time talking to you. You have enjoyed the relationship for years. Merry Christmas to you and your family. It should be a fun Friday and Saturday in the first round. Where can we get online and find articles like the Pavia article and getting us ready for the first round of the playoffs? Yeah, come to SportingNews.com and go to under 92. I want to extend a Merry Christmas to both of you, everybody at the show, everybody in your area there down in Alabama.

You guys are almost like family at this point. We've been talking for so long, and enjoy the holiday season. Enjoy Friday night, and we'll get back out of here in a couple weeks. Absolutely. Who says folks in the Big Ten SEC can't get along? Bill, I extend the same sentiments to you and your family as BB there. Hopefully you have a white Christmas up there and stay safe, okay? I will. Have a great afternoon, guys. Talk to you soon. Thank you, bud. Bill Bender, the man, with the Sporting News.

You see, I was talking about while we were talking about Diego Pavia, one of the only from Muscle Shoals, Reese Davis, saying, yes, I voted for Diego, but maybe if I had a do-over, I might reconsider. I think a lot of folks might go down that route as well. Coming up, they're putting a ribbon on everything else here in the holiday season. What about a ribbon on the high school scene? Caleb Suggs doing just that and more. Straight ahead with the Boomo Bugg Show. Stay with us.

Hey, this is Russell from Medford Jewelers, reminding everyone as we celebrate our 80th Christmas in downtown Florence that we have you covered. If you need a pair of two-carat lab diamond studs, we've got them on sale for $599. We have a two-carat lab tennis bracelet for $995. We have a $35 custom cookbook easel where you can bring in a handwritten recipe of your grandmother's and we can engrave it for you. If you need our Bit of Me custom ornament with a child's voice on it, we've got you covered.

We have Van Cleef bracelets for $125. We have lab-grown station-to-station diamond necklaces starting at $195. And we have two-carat moissanite studs for $49.95. Whatever your needs are for this Christmas season, Medford Jewelers has you covered. Wishing everyone a Merry Christmas from your friends at Medford Jewelers in downtown Florence since 1945. Happy Holidays from our team at Valley Credit Union. Now with five branches in the shoals, including our newest branch in Kittlin. Valley Credit Union. Rooted in community and committed to you in the coming year. Did you know that driving under the influence of marijuana is illegal?

That's right. Driving high could get you a DUI. And if you're wondering if law enforcement can tell when you're driving high, well, everyone else in your life can. Your friends can. Your co-workers can tell. Even your parents can tell. So what makes you think law enforcement can't tell? Well, they can. If you feel different, you drive different. Drive high, get a DUI. Paid for by NHTSA. Need to sell your house fast? Whether you're facing foreclosure, stuck with bad tenants, or just ready for a fresh start, House Buyer Network can help.

[15:59] We buy homes as is for cash. No fees, no commissions, no repairs. Get a fair cash offer in just 24 hours and close in as little as seven days. Call 833-719-5877 now for your free, no-obligation offer. That's 833-719-5877. House Buyer Network. Fast cash, no hassle. Offers are typically below market value in exchange for speed and convenience. Call for details. Fellas, it's the season to shine. And not just from the holiday lights. Manscaped is here to keep you looking sharp for every holiday party, family photo, and mistletoe moment.

The Lawn Mower 5 Body Trimmer and the Chairman Plus Face Shaver deliver precision, comfort, and control worthy of Santa's nice list. I've been good and nice. Whether you're tidying up before a big night out or preparing for New Year's Eve, Manscaped has your back. And your face too, to be exact. So gift yourself with some grooming greatness this season. Because looking good is the best gift of all. And now you can find Manscaped products at your local Walmart. The Post Crib Assembly Press Conference. Brought to you by Progressive.

Michael, Michael, you had some trouble putting the crib together today. What went wrong? You know, those instructions can be tough. And, well, you saw the outcome. Were you upset when your wife pulled you and called in the backup? No, I mean, the baby needs a crib to sleep in, so whatever it takes. You've got a changing table to put together next. It's got a lot of drawers. What's your comment? You know what? We're done here. Like it or not, sometimes you need a backup. That's why there's Progressive to protect your home and auto.

Progressive Casualty Insurance Company affiliates and other insurers. Not available in all states or situations. From the University of Alabama, this is Crimson Tide Today. It's a daily update on Bama Sports, and it's brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN each Thursday during the football season. Hello again, everybody. I'm Roger Hoover. Here are thoughts from Alabama football head coach Kalen DeBoer as we prepare for Friday night against Oklahoma. Coach, your opportunity now for the final word.

The final word presented by McCurry, Van, and Carr Rental. Yeah, it's playoff time, and we've been working all season long for this moment. And, you know, a long road ahead, hopefully. But we're just focused on what's ahead this week and really looking forward to a great challenge against a good football team, you know. And, you know, I'm proud of the guys and what they've been doing here early in the week, getting ready to play. Coach, always appreciate the time. Nikai, great to see you. Appreciate you so much as well.

Best of luck this weekend, and congratulations again on earning the opportunity to play in the college football playoff. You're good. Thank you. Coach Kalen DeBoer, Nikai Hill Green, joining us from Baumhauer's Victory Grill. I'll have more in a moment. Hey, Bama fans, each Tuesday and Thursday at 2 p.m. Central, join us live for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. This live streaming talk show features the latest on Alabama athletics with exclusive conversations with Tide student athletes, coaches, and media members giving their perspective on the Crimson Tide.

You can watch on YouTube, Facebook, and X, with all conversations archived as well on the Alabama Insider Podcast. Roll Tide with Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Join us this afternoon for Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR, streaming live at 2 p.m. Central on all CTSN social media platforms at UA underscore CTSN. Crimson Tide Today is brought to you by Crimson Drive, driven by NASCAR. Crimson Tide Today is a production of the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score.

Welcome back here. Quickly, we alluded to the top of the show. UNA announcing this morning, got a brand new offensive coordinator, Travis Partridge, coming down from Bowling Green, will replace Morgan Cruz as UNA's new offensive coordinator. That is from Coach Brent Dierman. He has been well-traveled to Tennessee State. He was a former Kansas offensive analyst, and he reunites with Dierman after one season at Bowling Green. These two have got a shared past, so Travis Partridge and his family coming to Florence as the new Lions offensive coordinator, BB.

You nearly said Partridge in the pear tree, didn't you? And Partridge's family, too. Yeah, they worked well together in the past. I think they will do it again. Caleb Suggs got working over at the Decatur Daily when it comes to the high school scene. Caleb, welcome in. Happy early. Merry Christmas to you. How are you? I'm doing good, guys. Merry Christmas to y'all. Hey, Boone. Thank you so much, Caleb. All right. If it's Christmas, what else are we talking about but football? We talked about UNA getting a new change in the coaching staff.

It looks like that Elkmont's gain in the coaching staff is Coach Cody Grosses and the Athens-Syde Golden Eagles' loss. Offensive coordinator Will Furlong, let me know if I'm wrong, named the new head football coach at Elkmont. Yeah, I think Coach Furlong, I really think highly of him. I think that definitely is a big loss for Athens, but a huge gain for Elkmont. Especially for a program that obviously doesn't have a history of success to come out and get an established coordinator who is very young and energetic.

[21:13] I think he's going to relate well with the kids there. I think he's going to be able to get a lot of them out to play. You look at what he did at Athens. He, as an office coordinator, had offenses that averaged 37, 38 points per game a few years. He had a quarterback that won our player of the year one year. And then you look at what he's getting at Elkmont. I know that they didn't have record-wise the best season, but they had a quarterback and a couple of receivers that put up massive numbers for them this year, and they're all coming back next year.

So he's getting some good players in there. So I think this could be a big thing where he can come in and have some success that maybe Elkmont hasn't seen in a while. Absolutely. The Alabama Sportswriters Association top 10 in nominees basketball poll dropped this morning again. Decatur girls are in it for the first time since 2010, 15 years. They're off to a blazing 13-2 start. In fact, I counted this morning, we talk about football with the power in Birmingham and Montgomery and Mobile. Well, the powers in North Alabama, there are 29 girls' team in North Alabama ranked in the top 10, or in the nominees, 15 through 20.

There are 27 boys' teams in North Alabama ranked in the top 10. That's 56 teams from North Alabama that ranked in the top 10, or nominees 15 through 20. That sends quite a message throughout the state. Yeah, I think, you know, Birmingham has kind of dominated the football scene lately, and, you know, North Alabama has some catching up to do there. But I think when you look at basketball, in Birmingham still, you know, don't get me wrong, they still have their great teams, and they still win their fair share of championships.

But North Alabama doesn't, you know, they've got plenty of good teams, both boys and girls, that go out and win championships. And, obviously, Huntsville is just a mecca of basketball. So many great teams in that area. But then there's great teams here in Morgan County, where we are, and then the Shoals area as well. And then Coleman County is huge in basketball. So, yeah, North Alabama is filled with basketball teams. It's definitely not loaded to one side like it is in football. Caleb Suggs over at the Decatur Daily.

A lot of folks want to know what's in the water over at West Morgan. We've seen what they've done over the years in football. And you look at this poll, and I love it when both the boys and the girls' teams are ranked high. And if I'm looking at it right, Caleb, both teams, boys and girls from West Morgan, are in the respective top fives. Top 10. I think the girls' team are number 10 in 4A. And then the boys are in number 7 in 4A. But, yeah, I mean, you look at it, I mean, you're talking about a string of success that's going on at that school right now.

Obviously, we've talked so much about football and what they've done the last four or five years. The volleyball team went to the state tournament this year. And then you look at basketball, the boys' team, you know, back-to-back Elite Eight the last, you know, two years. And then I think this might be their best team they've had yet, at least out of those three years. Coach Meyer is in his second year, and he's really had a chance to install his system. They play what they call the Fast 32, which means they play that full-court press for 32 minutes.

And, you know, the kids have really acclimated to it. They're very athletic, and they're in shape, and they can go. And they can play that style without having, you know, the miscues, you know. And so when you can do that, and they've also got some stud players as well, that makes it, that puts a lot of stress on a lot of teams. And, you know, they're averaging like 86 points per game, which is just astounding for a high-school basketball team. So I think Morgan is really good.

I like them a lot. I think they're going to be a threat to make the Final Four. The girls' team is really good, too. They're still young, but I think they were really young last year. They had some injuries, so they had to have some freshmen and even some eighth graders step in and play. And so now you've got, you know, the veterans back this year, and then you've got those other players coming in. So, yeah, they're on the up and up. And I think they're going to be a team to watch.

And I just want to throw this out there. You did mention Decatur Girls. What a story that is. Talking about a program that won five state championships in the 90s and then has just really gone through their fair share of down years. It's been in the past 20 years or so. And so it started last year. They had a good year last year, kind of building it. And then now Coach Tyler Wright has come in, and he has just completely flipped this program on its head. They are really good.

And I love it so much for that school, which is, you know, they need some success for their athletics. And they're getting it right now with their girls' basketball team. Yeah, you came in with your power rankings a couple of weeks ago, and I know you're going to update that again soon. But I know there's two teams for boys. And we talked about Austin in their athletic department too. Austin was number two in your rankings. They're number six in class, 7A. Kane Ricks is playing really well for them.

[26:22] Austin beat Florence 72-67. Earlier, Quentin Pryor had a big game. Florence is off to a little bit of a slow start. They've got a lot of young players, but they've won two in a row. And Austin beat Hazel Green 71-67. And then Decatur Heritage was your number one team in boys. They're number two in class, 2A. They've got an 8-2 record. Jordan Davis is having a tremendous year there. In fact, he dropped 43 points the other day. Talk a little bit about your top boys teams. Austin number two, Decatur Heritage number one.

Yeah, I think you look at Austin, you know, it's been a little bit of an up and down year to start the year. You know, they started in the top ten. They've dropped out now. But that's just because they're playing such a tough schedule. And, you know, you look at that area they're in with Bob Jones and James Clemens in Florence. All those teams are really good. And so, you know, they're sitting around 500 right now. They've beaten some really good teams, and they've lost to some good teams.

But, you know, I don't really think Coach Phillips is really upset about that. I think last year you looked at, I think they might have peaked a little early. They won the area tournament and won the right to host the area tournament. And then they go and lose in the first round. Again, it was a stacked area. So, I mean, you know, but I think they are feeling a little bit better about, you know, they're kind of coming along. And they know they've got the talent to, you know, make a run.

So they want to peak at the right time. And I feel like they'll do that. You look at Decatur Heritage, they've just been so good to start the year. And I don't think they're going to slow down. You know, their only losses have come to teams in like 5A and 6A or some of the better teams in those classification. They've been close losses. Jordan Davis, you mentioned, that kid is a baller. That's what the coach told me last Friday when I got a chance to see them.

And me seeing it in my own eye, which I've seen him for a few years. He's been starting for a while. But he's taken his game to a next level. I mean, he just has another gear. He has the ability to completely take over a game, which he did last Friday against a really good Tanner team. It was a two-point game going into the fourth quarter. And then he scores, I don't know, 15 or so points in the fourth quarter alone just to put that game out of reach.

So Decatur Heritage is really good, like they are always. They were a Final Four team last year, lost some good players, including a guy that was our player of the year. But I obviously think they're better this year, which just goes to show you the kind of coaching you're getting there when you can lose talented players and just reload and possibly be even better the next year. Priceful is number one in the girls. I wonder why. They're 13-2. Abby Langlose, who I know was the catered daily player of the year in 2024, she is back with a vengeance.

15 points, 13 rebounds, five blocks against each limestone, 31 points and 20 rebounds against Vindemont. That's quite a performance. And we'll be talking about Priceful, I know, throughout the remainder of the schedule. Great stuff. I know you do your power rankings. You've got the performers of the week. And we'll get into it even more, certainly after Christmas. Where can we get online and get, I know there are a lot of games this weekend before the Christmas break. You'll be having the latest on that, the top performers, and a lot of other good stuff.

Where can we get online and get everything? Yeah, you can get online at decaturdaily.com. Like you said, we'll have, you know, all the basketball stuff, you know, but we'll also have starting next week our player of the year stuff for our fall sports, our volleyball, football. That'll come out next week. And then once the holiday's in, then we'll really hit it hard with basketball. And before you know it, it'll be time to go to Wallace. I guarantee you. Caleb, listen, as always, good to hook up with you again.

Merry Christmas to you. Stay safe out there, okay? Merry Christmas to you all. Thanks for having me. Thank you, bud. Caleb Suggs, hanging up with us. This is there at the Decatur Daily. Coming up, time to find out if Ryan Callahan has been naughty or nice. And what about the latest story from Big Orange Country? RC on that and more. Keep right ahead. Stay with us. At North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, our Shoals roots run deep. We provide quick access and familiar, friendly faces so you never have to feel just like a number.

From sports medicine to joint replacement, expert care happens right here at home. As UNA Athletics' choice for orthopedics and the trusted orthopedic team of the Shoals' families for over 30 years, North Alabama Bone and Joint Clinic, is here for you. Learn more at nabjc.com. This is Miranda Haddock with the Florence Education Foundation. We invite you to support our Friends of the Foundation campaign. As a Friend of the Foundation, you can contribute any amount to help fund classroom needs in Florence City Schools. Please visit our website at FlorenceEducationFoundation.org to explore our new giving levels and the added perks available.

We want to wish Coach Burleson and the entire Falcon basketball team good luck this season. From the team at Martin Supply, here's wishing you a holiday season filled with joy, peace, and cherished moments. Thank you for letting Martin Supply be a part of your year. Happy holidays and best wishes for a prosperous new year. You took the elevator to the 48th floor and handed him the briefing. Your fingertips touched, sending a shockwave of desire through the air. The room pulsed with a silent craving as he drew you in with his smoldering gaze, before uttering the words your body ached to hear.

[31:58] The next train on track two is delayed. And all the while, you were on your commute home. There's more to imagine when you listen. Discover romance titles on Audible. Oh no. Ah, that's the sound of someone who's misplaced… My debit card. Their debit card. Where did I leave that thing? Not at the gas pump, or the checkout counter, or the roof of your car. Now, if he has the Chase Mobile app, he can use Card Lock. Wait, I could just lock my card. Yep, just a few tippy-taps on his phone, and…

That sound? That's peace of mind from Chase. Chase Mobile app is available for select mobile devices. Message and data rates may apply. JPMorgan Chase Bank N.A. Member FDIC. Wishing all the best for you this holiday season. May this time be filled with memorable moments for you. From Florence Utilities, Merry Christmas. Getting more as a MyLowe's Pro Rewards member is easier than ever with the Lowe's app. Download it today and earn 500 points the first time you log in. Plus, your digital wallet helps you scan, save, earn, and access what you need to manage it all in one place.

Download the Lowe's app and take advantage of your pro benefits today. Lowe's. We help you save. Valid 12-125-1726. Offer valid for first login per organization only. Loyalty program subject to terms and conditions. Additional restrictions apply. Visit Lowe's.com slash terms for more details. Subject to change. Rich Eisen here and we're brought to you by Sonos. This season, make your home feel alive with Sonos speakers. From cinematic sound that pulls you into every holiday movie. To game day audio that puts you right in the middle of the action.

Sonos makes it effortless to fill your home with incredible ambiance. Stream everything you love. Music, movies, or your favorite sports podcast all in one place. Sonos' holiday sale is on now through December 28th, 2025 at Sonos.com. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with Sonos. Progressive presents the sports flash on 93-9. The score. 16th ranked Alabama outscored South Florida last night, 104-93. Alabama with the victory improves to 8-3 on the season. South Alabama was the winner at UL Monroe in double overtime, 96-92.

Jaguars with the victory are 9-3 and now 1-0 in the Sun Belt. Alabama is set to play at Oklahoma tomorrow night in the college football playoff. The winner will advance to play the top seed Indiana on New Year's Day in Miami. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the sports flash presented by Progressive on 93-9, the score. So, you need last-minute gifts. No judgment. Get an extra 25% off during Kohl's Friends and Family Sale and find great gifts under $20.

Like something cozy, something thoughtful, something that says, you plan this all along. Yep, you're just one quick trip away from checking off the last gifts on your list. Save now at Kohl'sandKohl's.com. Select styles. Offerings December 24th. Some exclusions apply. See store or Kohl's.com for details. Whether it's morning routines or weekends on the sideline, when the temperature drops, America brings the heat with Hot Hands. Hot Hands are America's favorite hand, toe, neck, even body warmers to help you stay warm and cozy from head to toe.

Hot Hands are fast-acting, long-lasting, and made right here in the USA. Look for the Hot Hands logo in the bright orange packages at your favorite store or online. Keep doing what you love out there with Hot Hands, warming up America coast-to-coast. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back again. Time to head on up to K-10, Knoxville. Say hello to Ryan Callahan. Got the big orange cover there at Go Vols 24-7. Ryan, welcome in. How are you? Hey, guys. Doing well. How are you?

How are you? Man, we're doing all right. It's not every day you get to talk about a team losing a legend, but Ryan talked to us according to the reports of Tennessee losing literally a legend in this class. Yeah, Legend Bay, the four-star athlete from Texas, from the Dallas area there, flipping from, essentially flipping from Ohio State back to Tennessee on early signing day and not long after he signed with Tennessee or his mother signed or whatever the case may be, he was not 18 years old at the time, so he had to have his mother sign off on his decision, and that was sort of the issue there, that they were at a standoff on early signing day, and his mother essentially won out at the time because she was preferring Tennessee.

So, I mean, literally within 12 hours, if not less, of that decision, he was already second-guessing it, regretting that decision from what we heard, and looked for a way out, and it didn't take him long to find one in Tennessee, granted his release, because at the end of the day, it was not going to be their call on whether they held on to it. There's obviously so much more power in players' hands these days when it comes to that kind of thing, even after you sign. He turned 18 on Christmas Eve, so he would have had the option of requesting a release and doing all that himself anyway, and then even if he wanted to wait, he could have enrolled at Tennessee and then immediately entered the transfer portal next month.

[37:32] So they weren't going to be able to keep him there, and at the end of the day, he wanted out, so it's as simple as that. So tough loss there for Tennessee after what looked like a major win, a really dynamic high school quarterback with a fun name, as you mentioned, and was going to play wide receiver for Tennessee. You know, he's also maybe capable of lining up in the backfield. You could do some fun things with him on double passes as he's played high school quarterback and done some different things there.

So really fun player to watch, but will not be in Knoxville now, and all signs point to him starting his college career, at least, in Columbus, Ohio. Memo from old guys, don't fight mama. She's going to win just about every time. Talk to us about, if he's gone, talk to us about the impact. Anytime you get a guy in the house with that kind of potential, you start automatically start making plans. Now it's back to the drawing board. Your thoughts about, in this day and time, there's always a portal, but talk about the impact.

Yeah, you know, on its own, that one loss, probably not a big deal, but because, or not the end of the world, I should say, in the grand scheme of things, because Tennessee does have a couple of other really talented receivers in the class already, and five-star Tristan Keyes, and then four-star Tyreek King, a local prospect who probably projected as a slot receiver himself, much like Legend Bay might have played in Tennessee's offense. So they've got a couple other players they really like at that position in this class, but they also lost Celeste Moa, a four-star athlete from Utah, on early signing day.

He flipped to Utah, the home state school, where his dad played, and they made a late push to steal him away. And that two-way athlete, but Tennessee was planning to play him at wide receiver, at least to start off. So now you've lost two receivers here at the last minute in what looked like it was initially going to be a four-wide receiver class. So numbers-wise, that's not ideal. That's where it probably hurts Tennessee the most. I don't think they're in a position, though, where they really need to, or probably ideally want to go to the transfer portal for another receiver, because, again, you have some talented young guys like Tristan Keyes who are going to expect to play.

And if you put a veteran in front of those guys, potentially it could complicate things a year from now with guys looking to maybe just bounce after one year because they're not happy with their situation. So probably don't want to block anybody too much. We'll see if there's another guy they could maybe find in the portal for depth purposes. But right now, I think they're still pretty content with their receiver situation, just ideally would have had a bigger wide receiver class beyond just the two that they now have.

Third-string quarterback Jake Mertlinger announced that he is going to enter the portal when it opens on January 2nd. Played in four games this season as a backup to Joey Aguilar. As far as the bowl game is concerned, George McIntyre would be the backup, and we've talked about throughout the course of the year, the year Aguilar had put up some very impressive numbers. The turnovers were certainly a bugaboo, but in Tennessee, he's bringing in a very talented freshman. As far as the portal, will Hypo go into there and bring another experienced quarterback in in January?

What's Tennessee's plans for the quarterback going into 2026? Yeah, this is really interesting. This is where I think the way the season ended for Tennessee might be impacting their plans at least to some degree, or at least adding to the sense of urgency there. Initial indications that Tennessee is going to be a player in the quarterback market in the transfer portal, and I think that may be kind of a bit of a surprise to fans who know that Tennessee not only has the number two overall prospect in the 2026 class, according to 24-7 Sports, on the way in Faison Brandon, and he'll be on campus next month, but you've also got a really talented young guy in George McIntyre that they were pretty excited about going into the season, created some buzz during preseason scrimmages, and really had turned some heads in camp and even during spring practice earlier this year, so a lot of reason to be excited about those two guys, but at the end of the day, Tennessee now needs to win next year.

They've kind of got themselves in a tougher situation now where you've got a tough schedule. You've got Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, all these tough games on the schedule, and Josh Heifel coming off an 8-4 season. You know, I don't know that you'd want to duplicate that record next year. I'm not sure what would happen, but I think you're looking, going into next year, looking for improvement, and if you're going to get that, you know, do you want to count on a young quarterback who might or might not be ready for all that pressure and to take your offense to another level?

So, and then, yeah, you've got the additional wild card of Joey Aguilar's situation, too, but he's awaiting a court ruling that may or may not have come very, very quickly. So, Tennessee, what do you do next month? And Josh Heifel, you know, speaking just a little while ago, made it pretty clear that Tennessee is probably going to do what's best for the program at this point, which he, you know, didn't really hide. It probably means being involved in the transfer portal. And, you know, maybe the surprising part about that, it sounds like Tennessee at least has some serious interest in going after some top end of the portal type guys.

[42:52] Brendan Sorsby of Cincinnati, a guy that Tennessee has been connected to already. We'll see if they end up being involved with Sam Leavitt of Arizona State or anyone like that, but they're definitely going to be involved, it sounds like. And, you know, is it a situation where they feel like they have to go get a starter no matter who it is? That sort of remains to be seen. There may be a point where they just decide, you know what? Maybe we just bring in a guy who can compete with George McIntyre and Faison Brandon, but either way, it sounds like for the right guy, they would like to bring in a starter if they could find one.

Stay tuned for the details on that and more with Ryan Calhan there at Togo Vols 24-7. Ryan, you saw Oklahoma. You saw Alabama. This week, the two shall come together again. One thing that Oklahoma does can boast, they beat both Alabama and Tennessee this season. We know this is the rematch between the Tide and the Sooners. What happens tomorrow night in this one, Ryan? Boy, that's a great question. And I might be the wrong person to ask because I think I told you guys about a month ago, I thought Alabama would win that game in Tuscaloosa.

That did turn out to be the same. They did too before the game. So, yeah, I don't know. That's a really interesting matchup. And, you know, I think that Alabama, certainly on the right day, is still tough to stop. But that Oklahoma defense, as you guys saw just last month, is pretty salty. On the right day, they are tough to score against. And they've been very opportunistic all year. That's how they beat Tennessee. You know, forcing some turnovers and capitalizing on those with the defensive score and things like that.

So, you can't discount Oklahoma for sure. They're not the flashiest team even playing on their home field. They're probably beatable. But Alabama's got to play better offensively, certainly, than they did against Georgia. You know, that's obviously the concern. Alabama's not played some of its best offensive football lately. So, I don't know. That's a really, really interesting matchup. I would maybe lean slightly toward Oklahoma being on its home field. But it wouldn't surprise me at all if Ty Simpson and those guys, you know, dial up some different things offensively that allow them to have a little more success than they had at times against Georgia.

And they find a way to pull out a hard-earned win on the road. But I do think that will be a close game. And Oklahoma's defense is legitimately good, obviously. And it gives them reason to feel pretty good about it. But they just, you know, it probably won't be pretty. Their offense probably isn't going to put up a ton of points. And it will be a close game, I think, either way. We talked with you last week about Jim Knowles coming in. A lot of success at Ohio State and Penn State.

2.2 million dollars a year. That will be raised, obviously, I think by $200,000 in upcoming years. But who stays on the defensive side as far as coaching? I know everyone wants Ronnie Garner, one of the best defensive line coaches in college football. William Inge, the linebacker coach. Harbin, the outside linebacker coach. And, of course, you've got the secondary, too. Who is going to stay and who may be going as far as a defensive coach's assistance? Yeah, that's a great question and still kind of up in the air, I think, at this point.

That's one of the things Jim Knowles might be evaluating as we speak. He just arrived in town on Monday, kind of getting the lay of the land this week, evaluating things on the practice field and the meeting rooms. And just sort of seeing what's going on while, you know, just like any new coach, he's coming in and not going to start with the bowl game. You know, you can't install a new system in time for a bowl game. So he'll just kind of get to sit back and be an outside observer for this almost.

And, you know, just get to see these guys and how they operate on the practice field and the meeting rooms and see what might fit with his way of doing things. And it sounds like he is going to have, at the very least, a large say in who is back on the staff and who is not. It sounds like Tennessee wants to give him some leeway to build the staff and at least bring in, you know, at the very minimum, an assistant or two with him.

So it does, the expectation is that there will be some turnover, you know, as you said, Rodney Garner, certainly his reputation and the respect he has on staff. You would think he has the best chance of being retained of all those guys. But, you know, William Inge is serving as the interim defensive coordinator for the bowl game. That will be a good assessment tool for Jim Knowles and sort of getting a feel for him. And then Willie Martinez in the secondary, you would think, you know, there's a, you know, maybe a real chance that something could change there with, with Knowles having some guys that he's worked with at previous stops, including Penn State, that he might be interested in bringing with him in the secondary.

And also, what does he want to do in the secondary? It sounds like he, you know, he's worked with different arrangements in the past, but, you know, at Penn State and some other places, it's been different. But, you know, I think he might have some interest in having a safeties coach and a corners coach. If he does that, that might not bode well for LaVorne Harbin. If Rodney Garner is a guy that, you know, he sees as being able to just coach the entire defensive line.

[47:58] So how he arranges his staff might be as much of a determining factor in one or two of those positions as anything. So he's got some interesting decisions to make, but Tennessee is kind of letting Jim Knowles, I think, direct the process and decide what direction he wants to go and reevaluating and sort of reorganizing that staff going into next season. Ryan, you mentioned the bowl. What's more expensive, a ticket to the Music City Bowl or a Big Mac with fries? That's a great question. I haven't checked the secondary market, but I would imagine with a lot of these bowl games, it's a more affordable ticket than it often was five or six years ago.

But that being said, Tennessee draws well every time they're in the Music City Bowl. You know, for a game that fans might not be as thrilled about compared to, you know, say a Florida Bowl, more Tennessee fans will be there in Nashville than I would say would have been there if they had gone to Jacksonville. So it's an easy drive for a lot of fans to make, and certainly the fairly large fan base there in the Nashville area takes advantage of the opportunity usually to see Tennessee play, even if it's not a marquee matchup.

So they've had a few trips to the Music City Bowl in the past, lost a couple of them. They had a couple tough losses to North Carolina about 15 years ago and to Purdue just a few years ago. So we'll see if this one's any different, but certainly Tennessee fans usually show up there in pretty good numbers. And I know the Music City Bowl is really excited to get Tennessee. As long as it's not too frequent, they enjoy having them there because they certainly sell more tickets with Tennessee in town than they often do for other matchups.

28, your website does a very good job of trying to keep track, and believe me, it's a full-time job. Who's going to the portal? Who's going to the NFL? Who's coming back? Let me ask you about two guys. Lance Hurd, Tennessee's left tackle, one year of eligibility. He has announced whether or not he's going to the NFL. And Colton Hood, Patrick Brown, had a good article about superlatives for the season. And he had Colton Hood as the defensive MVP. I kind of agree with that. He had a marvelous season.

He's got two years of eligibility remaining. He has not announced about the NFL. Will these two guys come back? Will they enter the portal? Will they go into the NFL? What do you think? Yeah. So, Colton Hood is probably, I think, more likely leaning toward going to the draft. He's received a lot of early-round projections throughout the season, really. Since probably the end of September, we were seeing a lot of projections of potentially being a first-round pick. But at the very least, the second round, I think, is very much in play if he were to slip out of the first round.

So, a lot of reasons for him to consider just going on and entering the portal, which is pretty wild because that's a guy Tennessee brought in thinking he could kind of learn behind Jermod McCoy and Ricky Gibson this year. And that next year he might be a starter. He ends up being a starter essentially all year after Ricky Gibson goes down in the season opener and Jermod McCoy sits out the entire year. And now he's going to go pro, possibly, and Ricky Gibson's going to be back next year because he didn't get to play this season.

So, funny how things work out, but you have two years of eligibility left. He's still that third year, that redshirt sophomore that is draft eligible and looks like he's, I think, leaning in that direction. So, he will probably go pro, but as you said, hasn't announced anything yet. And all indications are that that's where he's leaning, though, and we'll see when he announces something. Lance Hurd is a trickier call. I think he has more serious interest in returning to Tennessee, but the dynamic there is fascinating because you've got David Sanders, Jr., the talented freshman, former five-star, who played right tackle this year after playing left tackle in high school.

And I think he very much sees himself playing left tackle in the future. Is he willing to stay at right tackle if Lance Hurd was to return? And if you're going to see, as the evaluation often goes, what's he worth? And it's not these days just as simple of a question as, do I want to come back? It's, how much am I worth at each school? And so, is he worth more to other schools than he would be to Tennessee? Is Tennessee willing to pay what it would take to bring him back?

So, there's a lot that goes into that evaluation. I think Lance Hurd feels like it's a coin toss right now, whether he'll be back at Tennessee or not. And I think both things are on the table, possibly the draft where he might be more of a mid-round type pick, it looks like, right now. Or he could go in the portal and end up somewhere else. And if he stays at Tennessee, does he maybe shift over to right tackle to make room for Sanders at left tackle?

There's a lot of things in play there. So, that one's kind of interesting to watch and probably the most difficult decision to assess right now and projecting who will be back and who won't. Absolutely. Tennessee gets off this night in basketball. They lost three, beat Louisville 83-62. Jacoby Gillespie 23 points, five assists. So, Rick Barnes is a little bit happier with that going into the Christmas break. A lot of good stuff going on. Transfers, recruiting. Boy, that's going to open up January 2nd. A lot of great stuff on your side.

[53:04] Where can we get online and get all the good stuff? Yeah, go all 24-7.com. You can sign up right now for 50% off an annual subscription. So, a great time to take advantage of that for the Tennessee fan of your life that might need another holiday gift idea. That's the perfect one. So, sign up there at go all 24-7.com and get all that stuff you mentioned and much more. Hopefully, you've been a nice boy this year and Santa Claus will come see you next week, Ryan.

Merry Christmas to you. Fingers crossed. Merry Christmas to you guys as well. Merry Christmas. We've still got time to rally. We've still got time on the clock. Ryan Callahan is in there. Go all 24-7. What's going on down in Tide Town? It's over 24 hours away from the showdown. The OK Corral. Ryan Fowler updating that. Justin Ferguson talking Auburn Tigers. And the coach, Pete, has got a game tonight. We'll explain that more straight ahead of the B-Mobile Bug Show. Stay with us. Wouldn't it be great if you could have your insurances for auto, home, business, farm, and RVs in just one agency?

That's what the Michael Noe Agency is for. We can help protect what is important for you. Why not simplify your life? Visit Michael Noe or Bill Cochran on Mobile Plaza in downtown Florence. Or call them at 256-767-4237. Nationwide is on your side. Nationwide Mutual Insurance Company and Affiliates, Columbus, Ohio. Subject to underwriting guidelines and approval. May the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family hope, happiness, and love. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the staff of Parks Mechanical. At Bob's Tire and Alignment, we've been keeping the shoals rolling for 49 years.

From tires to alignment for cars and trucks up to 550s, we'll keep your ride game day ready. And don't forget free tire rotations and fast oil changes with whatever you need. Conventional, blend, or full synthetic. Always save big with service you can trust. Bob's Tire and Alignment, Jackson Highway in Sheffield, where every drive is a winner. Irons Electric has been family owned and operated for 65 years. Irons Electric is deeply rooted in the Florence High School tradition and is happy to be a part of many past projects, including the recently completed new band room.

Irons Electric Company was voted the number one electrical contractor in 2023. Our professional team on staff and master electricians provide the expertise to make sure your project is installed per code to operate safely and flawlessly. From small residential jobs to large commercial projects, call Irons Electric at 256-766-3870. You won't be shocked by their reputation. Wow, you look amazing. What have you been doing? You've heard of Ozempic, Wigovie, and the other GLP-1 medications that are all over the news, right? Well, I found this great company called Zelfi.

And if you qualify, you can get medications like Ozempic and Wigovie and other GLP-1s at 80% to 90% savings without insurance, all 100% online. Wait, I can get GLP-1 medications for 80% to 90% less and do it all online? No long wait at the doctor's office or pharmacy? Yes. Zelfi can provide semaglutide and terzepatide, the active ingredients in Ozempic and other expensive GLP-1s for 80% to 90% less and shipped direct to your door. Amazing. How do I get started? Just send them a text. Text BLISS to 797979 to get started today with Zelfi.

Get the same active ingredients in Wigovie or Ozempic for 80% to 90% less, 100% online. Don't wait. Text BLISS to 797979 right now for your exclusive offer. Text BLISS to 797979. That's BLISS to 797979. My name is Whitney Allen. I am a widow. My husband, Ryan, died. We never thought in a million years we'd have to use life insurance. The unexpected happened. With Ethos, it is so fast and easy. It's 100% online. You can get a quote in seconds, apply in minutes, and get same-day coverage. No medical exams, and you can get up to $3 million worth of coverage through Ethos.

Get your free quote at ethos.com slash game. That's E-T-H-O-S dot com slash game. Time spent on application may vary. Online health questions required. This college football moment is brought to you by ServPro. College football teams have moments they recovered from and made it like it never even happened. Like on October 2, 1993, when the University of California faced a 30-0 halftime deficit to Oregon. Cal went on a remarkable 42-11 run in the second half to capture a 42-41 victory. One of the largest comebacks in college football history.

ServPro. Like it never even happened. Ambition just met its match with Robinhood. Trade stocks and ETFs, options, futures, and crypto all on one platform. Get started today at Robinhood.com slash your money. Your money, your move. All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Options, futures, and crypto trading carry significant risk and may not suit all investors. Securities offered through Robinhood Financial LLC member SIPC. Futures trading is offered by Robinhood Derivatives LLC. Not FDIC or SIPC protected. Crypto offered through Robinhood Crypto LLC. NMLS ID 170-2840.

[58:07] Not FDIC or SIPC protected. Portfolio management offered by Robinhood Strategies. An SEC registered advisor. 1819 News. U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville believes that the U.S. military forces that are surrounding the country of Venezuela right now will not be called off by President Trump until Nicolas Maduro is forced out of power. Tuberville was on Newsmax this past Wednesday. We have a war against drugs, but it's been going on for 25 years, and people need to understand they're killing our people every day. So this is the first president that says enough's enough.

We're going to strike back, and we're doing exactly that. You know, it's a seek and destroy mission. We want to make sure that Venezuela understands that it's time to shut this off. Maduro is a communist killer, and President Trump is cutting off the head of this snake slowly. But it's not just about drugs. It's about guns, laundering money. It's about the oil they're selling all over the world and using it for narco-terrorism and terrorism with ISIS. I'll be back with more Alabama stories after this. Brian Dawson here, CEO of 1819 News.

I'm also the host of 1819 News, the podcast. And we'd love for you to join us by listening to our weekly show on all the top podcast apps, both in audio and video format. At 1819 News, the podcast, we are in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama. Every week, we're having important conversations with guests from across this great state, all with the goal of equipping Alabamians to be in pursuit of a free and flourishing Alabama with us. New episodes are released weekly. I hope you'll join us.

U.S. Congressman Robert Adderholt is very excited about how Alabama's economy will be affected by the incoming U.S. Space Command at Redstone Arsenal. Adderholt says about 1,000 people will be coming with that new headquarters and will create more jobs in the area, as many as 2,000. Adderholt says this will not only boost North Alabama's economy, but is an overall positive effect on the state of Alabama. He says such a relocation plan is no small thing. I'm Andrea Tice. For more news affecting Alabamians, go to 1819news.com.

And while you're there, subscribe to the daily newsletter. Valley Broadcasting Corporation, WITK-FM, Rogersville, Athens, Decatur, The Shores. Sports Radio 93.9, The Score. The road to the national title starts now. Strike up the fan and light them up. The Crimson Tide looks to get revenge on the Oklahoma Sooners in the first round of the college football playoffs this Friday. Walking, tide, fires, catch, touchdown. First round coverage starts at 4 p.m. On your home for Alabama football, the Crimson Tide Sports Network from Learfield. Alabama football on 93.9, The Score is brought to you locally in part by Nationwide Insurance Agents Michael Noe and Bill Cochran.

Garner Pierce Autos. The Alabama Music Hall of Fame. Bob's Tire and Alignment. Alpha Insurance Agents David Jordan, Mike Mitchell, and Matt Henry. Fake Independent. Champy's World Famous Fried Chicken. Woody Anderson Ford. Garnett Electric. And Elliott Johnson Insurance. Hi, this is Chris Stewart. And your home for Alabama football is Sports Radio. 93.9, The Score. 93.9, The Score weather. Today, a 90% chance of showers with possible gusty winds and a high around 60. Tonight, partly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers overnight. Possible gusty winds and a low near 35. Tomorrow, sunny with a high around 50.

Tomorrow night, mostly clear with a low around 30. And for your Saturday, sunny with a high around 60. Your weather from 93.9, The Score. Now, get ready to roll, Scholes, Decatur, Athens, and all of northwest Alabama and southern Tennessee. It's time for the Valley's exclusive FM sports voice. The Boomo Bugg Show. Your exclusive inside track to the Tide, Tigers, Tennessee, and the rest of the SEC. Now, your host, Harold Bugg on 93.9, The Score. Welcome back in our tour of the Boomo Bugg Show. I'm Harold Bugg alongside Brett Beaird.

Thank you so much for giving us a ride around the Tennessee Valley. Baby, what do you say? We say hello to the Starsky, the college football's hutch. He is Coach Pete Cordelli, former head coach at Kent State, assistant coach at Arkansas, Minnesota, and Notre Dame. Also, his book is called Making the Grade. And as I mentioned behind the microphone, for a team called Arkansas State. More on that in a second. But first, are you Starsky? Are you hutch? Or are you just Coach Pete Cordelli? Welcome in.

How are you? Man, it's always a pleasure to be with you. I'm just Coach Pete, but, man, if Phillip Rivers can make a comeback, you never know what's going to happen. I'll tell you what, the senior citizens of the United States are very proud of Mr. Rivers. Yes, they are. I guarantee you. You know you've got it going on when you get sacked and you land on your Social Security card. Right, Coach? I'm telling you, not being here. Hey, let's talk a little bit about your job tonight.

[1:03:32] You're on a call to Arkansas State. Now, your thoughts about the showdown, it's bowl season. You're in Frisco, not Frisco, California, Frisco, Texas. It's the X-Box. And you know what they say, Coach. When Arkansas State and Missouri State get together, you can throw the record books out the window. Your thoughts? Well, you know, Missouri State's had a change in their head coach. He's gone on to Conway, Arkansas. Excuse me, Conway, South Carolina, the coast of Carolina as their new head coach. So, Missouri State's had a heck of a year.

They're 7-5 coming into this game. Arkansas State, what a finish that Coach Jones and this team has had to get to be bowl eligible. And they have one of the better quarterbacks in the Sun Belt and possibly flying under the radar. And Jalen Rayner, Corey Rucker, wide receiver. And the defense has come on and played very well. But, fellas, I don't know of another team in the country in the last two years that has won as many one-score games as Arkansas State under Butch Jones has last year and this year.

So, credit to Butch Jones and looking forward to a big game tonight. Talk to us about Coach Jones, obviously. And you know where we are. He's got ties, Tuscaloosa, Knoxville. Talk to us about life now for Butch Jones. Well, you know, it's good to see Coach Jones. He was a special assistant there at Alabama for Nick Saban. But to get back on the sidelines, get back into coaching, coached his sons. You know, and now they're a part of the program at Arkansas State. So, it's a family affair for Butch and his team.

But, golly, he's done such a great job of preparing this football team. And what he's done at Arkansas State has been tremendous. So, especially with the roster turnover the last few years. You know, they had Kerryon Crawford, who's at Auburn right now. They had him for two years. And what a big-time player he is. But, yeah, it's going to be fun tonight. You know, you win here and you get the 7-6. It's a winning record. Absolutely a big turnaround from what happened in the early parts of the season.

And it was a pretty tough schedule there. But they got it done and looking forward to this game tonight. Absolutely. I've always thought Butch Jones was one of the most underrated coaches in the country. All right, we brought the expert in here to break down first-round college football playoff games. And you know where we're going to start. Alabama at Oklahoma. Oklahoma now a one-and-a-half-point favorite. Pete, Alabama had this game won in November. And they gained them nearly 2-1, 4-0-6 to 2-12. But someone who's as astute as you are and fundamental coach, three turnovers in giving teams short fields is a recipe for losing a game.

Both of these offenses have struggled because of injury. Oklahoma has not scored more than two offensive touchdowns in a game since October the 25th. I saw that stat today. Alabama's much healthier than they were when they played Georgia. Pete, Alabama and Oklahoma 2-0. Yeah, fellas, I just think that both of these teams have evolved so much since that first meeting. But, Brett, you're exactly right. You can't win in big games when you give the football away. Turnover margin is so critical in the outcome. And that's what basically was the difference.

And the other thing is, John Mateer, the quarterback for Oklahoma, is so much more healthier now. He has been, you know, he had that thumb surgery that he was practicing with a brace on the thumb. And now he is completely free. It's not being taped. He's able to put more pressure on the football when he has to throw it, which is a huge advantage. So, Oklahoma and their defense, and we know what Coach Venerables can do, but this OU defense is really something. And, you know, they're seventh in the country in scoring defense.

They're only giving up 14 points a game. They're fifth in the country in rushing defense. And they're ninth in total defense. So, Alabama is 12th in total defense. Fellas, I think we may see a 9-6 game in this one. Maybe. Party like it's 2011 at the game of the century with LSU, right? Fellas, points are going to be hard to come by. I mean, my goodness. You know, the one thing that concerns me, though, guys, it's Ty Simpson's upper body injury, you know, with the shoulder or back or whatever it is.

[1:08:47] Yeah. And even though they've had time to heal, he's had time to heal, excuse me, this offensive line is not taking the pressure off of Ty with the running. No. And the Miller's going to be back. But when you get to this point in the season, you have to be balanced. Minus three yards rushing against Georgia just isn't going to cut it. This team here, or excuse me, this game here is going to come down to the team that commits the fewest turnovers, but also the team that can convert on third down.

If you can make third down conversions to keep the football. Thank you. And get it down into scoring range. Because the other teams, neither team has the capability or has shown the capabilities of the explosive play lately. Even though you've got Ryan Wood and Bernard with the tight ends at Alabama being out there going to freshman tight ends now. But third down conversions are going to be huge because time of possession and getting points on the board are going to be at a premium in Norman.

The thing is, that's not temperature-wise, the weather won't be a factor. It could be windy out there. You know how that is. You're closer to that neck of the woods than we are, so special teams could be a factor, too. Coach, if you could sit down, given all the things we've talked about, knowing this defense is going to brain the house, what kind of advice, if you could put your coach's hat on and talk to Ryan Grubb and Kalen DeBoer, what advice would you be? You know what's coming.

What is the counter to keep that type of defense loose and honest? Well, the biggest thing is you have to know where the pressures are coming from. And in a game like this, where you know Oklahoma's just going to dial it up, I mean, they're blitzing before they get off the bus. They're already blitzing. They started an hour ago. Exactly. Move the launch point, though. Don't always let that quarterback be sitting behind the center. So that's why the run game, if you make the outside or stretch play go, now the boot off of that becomes big because if guys are chasing the running back, now you come out and you boot the quarterback the other way and the crossing routes become big with a run-pass option for the quarterback.

I believe that against pressure teams, pressure defenses, the quarterback's always got to be moving to throw the football. Half roll right, sprint out left, boot. And then come back and maybe some screens, some inside, middle screen. Not so much the tunnel bubble on the outside, which everybody knows you're going to run. But now you drop back. You fake the bubble one side, but the other side you have the inside screen coming. So if you fake the bubble to the right, the left tackle, left guard go out.

And now the split end takes one step up and he comes underneath. So it becomes a middle screen. Just mixing it up like that. You know you're going to get so much man-to-man coverage that all it takes is one of those crossing routes. And that can turn into a big explosive scoring. Like a Ryan Williams. Yes. And you know, he's been missing for the last couple weeks. But hopefully he's healthy and can make some catches. But the guy that's the go-to guy here in this offense in the passing game is Jimmy Bernard.

And I look for him to have a big game. Let me ask you, in a couple of minutes, Miami at Texas A&M, the Aggies, a four-point favorite. Pete, how do you see it coming out? Well, this might be the best game of the first-round matchups. Yeah. Because A&M playing at home, I mean, both teams are very, very good defensively. Craver and Concepcion, the two receivers for A&M, are big play threats all the time. And the key is going to be, can Marcel Reed make a consistent throw accurately under pressure?

Because Miami is going to bring the heat as well. I like A&M at home in a close one. Making the grade. I'm sitting here looking at it. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I call it a blueprint for any young man or lady, but wanting to get to the next level. You've got so much information in it. Pete, tell us, where can we get online and get Making the Grade? Brad, I really appreciate it. You can go to Amazon.com, pull up Making the Grade, and it's makingthegrade, lowercase a, dot c-o.

You know, I'm glad you said that about for girls as well, because there's such an emphasis right now on girls' flag football. It is. That is something a big, big sport. And eventually, guys, I truly believe we're going to see women's flag football in college athletics. I believe athletic directors are going to have to add that to their athletic department. And you know what? Rightfully so. These women need an opportunity because there are some really good athletes out there. Absolutely. Listen, we always enjoy the conversation.

[1:14:17] Have a great Christmas with your family. I know you're going to probably take a few, and we will too, next week. But always enjoy the conversation. Congratulations again on the success of the book. Let's do this again real soon. And Merry Christmas to you and your family. Hey, guys, have a merry and blessed Christmas. It's always a pleasure being with you. And look forward to what this playoff scenario brings us as we head into 2026. Absolutely. Starting with the Xbox Bowl tonight with the Arkansas State boys.

Coach, thanks so much. I echo the cinemas. Merry Christmas. There you have it. Coach Pete Cordelia. Again, the book is called Making the Grade. Coming up, what's going on down the plains? Justin Ferguson, the latest next. Stay with us. This football season, bring the flavor that wins every time. Champy's world-famous fried chicken. Tailgate like a champ with our legendary fried chicken, award-winning smoked hot wings, and don't forget those Mississippi Delta hot tamales that will light up your taste buds. Feed your whole crew with a Champy's tailgate pack.

Packed, stacked, and ready for kickoff. Champy's chicken, East 2nd Street and Muscle Shoals. World-famous for a reason. Let the million-dollar band, including six Muscle Shoals high school grads, get you ready for Champy's chicken and the game. This season's greetings and the very best wishes for a happy and prosperous new year. From Jeff Stewart Insurance in Florence. At Valley Credit Union, we believe every great team starts with a strong community. We're proud to help our neighbors save, borrow, and build brighter futures together. Whether you're planning for your first home, growing your family, or supporting local dreams, we're here with personalized service and competitive rates.

Stop by any of our convenient locations. Or visit us on the web at ValleyCreditUnion.net. Valley Credit Union. Rooted in community, committed to you. Let's win together. Did you hear? Allstate car insurance now costs even less. So when you bundle with home, you can save even more. Check Allstate first to bundle and save with a new lower auto rate. You're in good hands with Allstate. Not available in every state. Only applicable for new auto insurance business. Rates will vary by several factors, including how you purchase the policy.

Potential savings may vary. Allstate North American Insurance Company and affiliates, Northbrook, Illinois. Welcome back to Winter Hack Radio. The place for clever hacks to survive the season. Icy driveway? Well, try spreading sand or bird seed to help with traction. Snowy puppy paws? Well, grab a whisk, brush it off, done. Catch COVID-19? Well, just get… Actually, there's no hack for COVID-19. But if you test positive, prescription medications for COVID exist. Ask your doctor if they're right for you. Visit PfizerForAll.com to learn more. Sponsored by Pfizer.

Scott Graham here from Westwood One. Coming up Thursday Night Football, an NFC West showdown from Seattle. And Sam Darnold and the Seahawks host Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams. Both are 11-3 coming off wins, which means the division lead is on the line in primetime. Kate Scott and Ryan Harris call the action of the Rams at the Seahawks on Thursday Night Football. Right here on 93.9 The Score. This is the story of The One. As the purchasing manager at a manufacturing plant, she knows the only thing more important than having the right safety gear is having it there when you need it.

That's why she partners with Grainger for auto reordering. So her team members can count on her to have cut-resistant gloves on hand, and each shift can run safely and efficiently. Call 1-800-GRAINGER, click grainger.com, or just stop by. Grainger, for the ones who get it done. Hey, I'm Mike Slater. My dad passed away at the age of 63. He's out of nowhere. Had a stroke. Super hard, obviously, for the whole family, but my dad had life insurance. This is why I have life insurance for my family, for my wife and four kids.

And the best place to get life insurance is ethos.com, because you can do it in 10 minutes. And there's no medical exam and no blood test. Just a few health questions. Get life insurance in 10 minutes so your family is protected. Ethos, E-T-H-O-S, ethos.com slash play. Out here, it's football season, where nothing beats backyard grilling, gathering around the fire pit, and cheering on your favorite team with friends. The yard is mowed, the lights are strung, and the grill is warming up. Whether you need to fill up your propane, get a new grill, or even a generator, out here, it's game day.

And we're ready for it. Tractor Supply, for life out here. A SoFi Personal Loan is here to help you achieve something once thought impossible. Overcoming high-interest credit card debt. Walk the tightrope of your finances with one low, fixed-rate monthly payment, no fees required, and as soon as the same-day funding. That's right. Pull off your own debt-defying stunt with a SoFi Personal Loan. Visit SoFi.com slash trick to learn more. Loans originated by SoFi Bank. N-A. Member FDIC. Terms and conditions apply. N-M-L-S-6-9-6-8-9-1.

[1:19:52] United Way of Northwest Alabama is thrilled to announce the return of its signature fundraising gala, Shoals Royale, on Saturday, February 21st, 2026, at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. This black-tie optional casino-themed event brings all the glitz and excitement of Las Vegas to the Shoals, complete with live entertainment, gaming tables, prices, hors d'oeuvres, and a cash bar, and all for a great cause. Now in its fourth year, Shoals Royale has become one of Northwest Alabama's premier charity events. Uniting local businesses, community leaders, and residents for a night of luxury and purpose.

Proceeds directly benefit United Way of Northwest Alabama and the 12 local nonprofit partners and 22 community programs and funds. Individual tickets are $125 or $200 per couple. Or go in VIP style for $350 or $600 per couple. Shoals Royale, 2026, Saturday, February 21st, at 7 p.m. at the Renaissance Shoals Conference Center. Tickets are available now at GiveButter.com slash ShoalsRoyale2026. The Score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The Score. Welcome back in. Time to say hello to Justin Ferguson. Got the Auburn Tigers covered there with the Auburn Observer. Justin, welcome in.

If you have one, if you got your chimney cleaned out and bought all your milk and cookies, yes. How are you? I'm doing all right. How are y'all? You good? We're doing okay, Justin. One week away from Christmas, and a lot of folks are asking, as far as presents, who's coming, who's going. Justin, if you will, we know every team is going to have to address this issue as far as the portals. Some people are still busy with the Bulls, et cetera, in the playoffs. Auburn, obviously, has wrapped up their season from that standpoint.

Talk to us about the latest with the portals, the goings, and the comings that you're hearing, anyway. Yeah, nobody coming in yet, but we do know a lot of teams who might be going at this point. And there's been a couple here recently that have been some pretty big ones for Auburn. I'll start with the good news. Xavier Atkins is coming back for another year. You announced that yesterday. All-American linebacker for Auburn this season, second-team All-American, first-team All-SEE. One of the most productive players. I think it was the number was this year that when you look at tackles for loss and just overall production, Xavier Atkins had the best season for Auburn linebacker since Carlos Dansby in 0-3.

So that tells you just, you know, what kind of player he was this year. Really big for Auburn to retain him. He obviously was such a big playmaker. But they have lost a couple of guys that were key dudes on the defensive side here in the last couple days. Today, the news of Malik Blockton is going into the transfer portal. Really surprised with that one. Be interested to see where he ends up and kind of what he was, you know, what kind of, what he's prioritizing.

Because this is a guy who's an Auburn legacy. His older brother was Marcus Harris played here. You know, and he was Auburn's best defensive tackle for the last two seasons. And he's from right down the road at Pike Road. You know, so for him to go in the portal, I think it was a big surprise. Especially considering Auburn retained his position coach and his defense coordinator. They were the only guys who kept their jobs throughout this. And yet he's still in the portal. So that was a big surprise.

The other one, Jay Crawford. You know, Jay Crawford, the corner, he's been probably Auburn's best corner the last couple of seasons. There, he's hopping into the transfer portal. He's got another year of eligibility remaining. I have been told that both of those guys for Auburn, both of those defensive guys for Auburn, you know, the door's not completely closed on them to come back to Auburn. That's the thing about the portal. You can, you'll pull back out of it. But they are going to at least explore their options.

So those are two big losses. I mean, last week we had Malcolm Simmons, you know, going to the portal. That was on Saturday. The news he was going to go into the portal. You know, a guy who came on strong last year, at the end of this season, would have been a pretty good receiver for Auburn to have next year. Those two guys on the defensive end. Those are the two big ones. A lot of the other guys kind of depth pieces. Younger guys haven't played as much.

But Blackton and Crawford were two pretty big ones here this week. Which, you know, kind of combined with the Atkins news, it makes it a pretty busy time for Auburn's defense. Is it now 17? And again, obviously that's a large number. But you hit the nail on the head. There are really three or four guys who were big parts of this team this year. And a lot of people thought they might be coming back. And a lot of these guys were second and third team. And they're just looking for a better opportunity.

Is it now 17? Yeah, I think it's 17 now. Talisman Goohu, who was the former starting kicker when Alex McPherson was out, he went in the portal today as well. Or he announced he was going to go in the portal today as well. I believe it is 17 at this point. And here's the thing with that. It's just like, you know, you've got to keep in mind, Auburn's had four straight losing seasons. You just had a massive coaching change. You know, I'm sorry, five straight losing seasons. And a coaching change.

So, it is going to be a big number. It was going to be a big number anyway. I think for Auburn, it's just, you've got to find out. You know, Alex Guller said this a couple weeks ago. It's like, you've got to find the guys who want to be here, want to stay here, and work with them. And then from there on, I mean, that's the thing about the portal with this, you know, year one thing going on. And just one big portal window is that, you know, Auburn's going to know exactly what they need in the portal here in the next couple weeks.

[1:25:02] And as it happens, getting with Justin, Justin Ferguson, the Auburn Observer, it looks like Derek Nix will make another Iron Bowl. The difference is he was on this sideline for Auburn last year's offensive coordinator. And if you've got some updated information, please share it. It looks like he may be on his way to Tuscaloosa to be the wide receivers coach. We haven't seen anything firm on that yet. Your thoughts about the latest and your take on Derek Nix. Yeah, I think Derek Nix did a really good job, obviously, taking over Auburn's offense after the U-Freeze firing.

I think he's a very, you know, very smart offensive coach. I think, you know, his, you know, the running game that Auburn had when they used it, you know, his couple seasons here, I think it was pretty good. Obviously, when you look at the numbers of guys like Jeremiah Cobb and Jarquez Hunter put up under him, he's got that experience, a wide receiver coach, obviously. You know, I thought when he was the play caller for Auburn the last few weeks of the season, I thought you saw a lot of that Lane Kiffin influence on him, you know, with his offense.

So, yeah, moving back to wide receivers coach is something I think he can't do, and, you know, I think he's a really good coach who's got a lot of connections, been in this league for a while. So, not surprising to me at all that, you know, Alabama would be interested in picking up somebody like him after they made the coaching change. You had an interesting tweet yesterday that kind of put the coaching experience, again, a lot of people wondering about, you know, the goal that you stay off.

Hugh Freeze, his staff, his coaches combined had 35 seasons, half of the on-field staff had never coached in Power 4 before. I think Brian Harsin was the same way, at least half of the on-field staff had never coached. Golich, on the other hand, 93 seasons, 10 of 12 on-field assistants have previously coached in Power 4. His staff now 172 seasons of coordinator or position coach experience, including 93 seasons in Power Conference and 49 in the SEC. That's quite an upgrade. It is, it is. You know, if you look at the year one staff for Hugh Freeze and for Brian Harsin, I think they were banking on a lot of guys that they had brought from, you know, Liberty and Boise State and guys who had not really coached in this league before.

It's really interesting, you know, Golich has 12 on-field assistants. Only two of them are new to being a position coach in, you know, Power Conference football. And I think that's a very big change in what we've seen. I mean, you know, you look at Auburn's defense, like, look at Auburn's defensive staff. Three guys who are coaching for Auburn's defense next season were coordinators in the league this year. So, you know, it's a ton of experience back there. You know, when they, last time I talked to you guys, they had one spot open left, you know, coach, their tight end coach.

They go get Larry Scott. He was a sitting SES head coach who obviously has experience in the SEC. And, you know, he was the interim coach at Miami for a while. So, you know, it was a staff that I think really emphasized, you know, experience in this league, experience, you know, coaching at the high levels. And not just, you know, that's the thing. Golich brought some of his guys with him from, you know, from USF. But some of those guys had already been there and done that before, you know, at a power conference level.

And then he just tried to surround himself with as many guys as he could that knew this league or knew Auburn, where you've got guys like, you know, Larry Porter coming back. You've got, you know, guys like Coleman Hutzler. And, you know, there's just a lot of different dudes on the staff that I think have had really good, really quality experience. And it's a difference, you know. We'll see. The last two year ones did not go very well for Auburn in terms of their staffs and how they played on the field.

This staff just looks different and feels different. And in that story I wrote, it's really interesting. The last time, really, Auburn had this much experience on a year one staff with SEC and power conference experience. You've got to go back to Gus Malzahn's first staff at Auburn, where he loaded up with guys like this, very similar to what Golich did. And we obviously all knew what Gus Malzahn did in year one at Auburn. I'm not saying, obviously, it would take a lot for Golich to accomplish that, but I think he does see the value surrounding himself with experience and guys who have been here and done it at this level.

And it is a pretty big upgrade, like you said, from what we've seen these last couple of year one staffs at Auburn. Yeah, absolutely, at least on paper. We'll see how it plays out. Thank you for coming on today. You're flying to West Lafayette tomorrow to see the Purdue Boilermakers, who were number one earlier in the season. They were when they beat Alabama. Auburn's only played number one Houston at the time. Number two now, Michigan, number one Arizona. Now going to face number two, Purdue, nobody better say anything about Auburn and Alabama's preseason schedule not being rigorous.

[1:30:10] Listen, tell us about the 6 a.m. emails, the Friday mailbag, the podcast, all the other stuff. And more importantly, Merry Christmas to you and your family. Have a safe trip to West Lafayette. Yeah, absolutely, appreciate you guys. AuburnObserver.com, check it out. Tomorrow we're going to have a mailbag covering a lot of things on the football and some on the basketball side. Like you said, I'm going to be heading up to Indiana to cover that game between Auburn and Purdue. We'll have a podcast previewing that on Saturday morning.

We'll have a newsletter previewing that. I'll have coverage from that game. And then we'll come back next week, you know, take a few, you know, take a little bit of time off for Christmas. But it's going to still be a very busy time with the portal and with basketball and all that. So AuburnObserver.com, sign up. We're still running our Christmas special, $45 for your first year if you subscribe. And, yeah, I appreciate you guys very much. Another year of doing this. I mean, I was thinking about it the other day.

I feel like I've been coming on either Thursday or Friday with y'all for a very, very long time. And I always enjoy doing it. So Merry Christmas to y'all. And I can't wait to do it for a whole other year next year. Pleasure is all ours, Justin. So thank you and safe travels to and from, okay? Absolutely. Appreciate it, guys. Thank you, bud. Justin Ferguson, the AuburnObserver. B.B., what about some breaking news? Yeah, I mentioned this earlier, and it's now confirmed. Ole Miss quarterback, Trinidad Chambliss, I was wondering, Harold, he was going to announce transferring.

Would he play in the playoff game? He has now been granted a sixth year of eligibility. He plans on entering his name in the transfer portal, but intends on finishing the season with Ole Miss. He is probably going to see his former coach in LSU, but Trinidad Chambliss will be playing this week in the playoff game. Oh, my goodness. And college football is going to be sponsored by a Grecian formula going forward, and that's just for the players. I don't think Ryan Fowler has transferred out of Tuscaloosa yet.

We'll make sure next. Stay with us. Hello, my name is Keith Medley, and I'm an attorney with the law firm of Johnson, Passeur, Medley & Burchill. Why call an out-of-town lawyer when you can call our law firm, which has over 100 years of combined experience in all areas of the law. Check us out first by calling our office at 256-766-3131. No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers. This is Pastor Kevin Johnson of the First Baptist Church of Florence wishing you and yours a very Merry Christmas.

We hope this Christmas season you will find the joy of Christmas, the hope of Christmas, and most of all, you'll find a personal relationship with the only King of Christmas, Jesus Christ. Join us Christmas Eve at 5 p.m. at First Baptist Church of Florence as we celebrate There is a King. Looking for the perfect Christmas gift? You just found it at Lost Pizza. Located at the corner of Seminary and East Mobile Street in historic downtown Florence. Lost Pizza is serving up a holiday deal worth celebrating.

Buy $25 worth of Lost Pizza gift cards, and you'll get a $5 gift card for yourself. Because Santa says you deserve one too. This Christmas, give pizza. And keep a little bit for you. Lost Pizza, downtown Florence. This Christmas season at Creative Jewelers, it's not just about sparkling diamonds or shining gold. It's about something even brighter. The joy of being together. Hi, I'm Brandi Hammock, and we want to spend this holiday with you. Yes, you. Our neighbors, our friends, our community. Whether you're shopping for a gift or just passing by, we invite you to stop in this December.

Come share a cup of cocoa, a cookie or two, and a smile. And although we're always happy to help you check off all those gifts on the list, no purchase is necessary. Just bring yourself, your family, and that old-fashioned Christmas spirit we all treasure. Because here at Creative Jewelers, the greatest gift we can share is fellowship, warmth, and the simple joy of Christmas. So come in, say hello, and celebrate the season with us. After all, Christmas shines brightest when we shine together. Creative Jewelers in historic downtown Florence, just look for the big purple awning.

Rich Eisen here, and we're brought to you by Sonos. This season, make your home feel alive with Sonos speakers. From cinematic sound that pulls you into every holiday movie, to game day audio that puts you right in the middle of the action, Sonos makes it effortless to fill your home with incredible ambiance. Stream everything you love, music, movies, or your favorite sports podcasts all in one place. Sonos' holiday sale is on now through December 28th, 2025 at sonos.com. Discover how easy it is to bring every room to life with Sonos.

[1:35:14] Hey, fans. Welcome back to Fansville's Cheers. And tears. Okay, so like, everybody deals with losing, right? To a rival on a last-second field goal. Whatever, it's fine. I'm totally fine. But I cope with losing with an ice-cold Dr. Pepper. Mmm, those 23 flavors are like so delicious. They totally wash away the pain of your college football team taking a big fat L. College football, it's a pepper thing. Progressive presents the Sports Flash on 93.9 The Score. Alabama football team preparing for the college football playoff tomorrow when the tide travels to Norman Oklahoma to take on the Sooners, Alabama the 9th seed, while Oklahoma is the 8th seed.

The winner will advance to play top-seeded Indiana New Year's Day in Miami. The Atlanta Falcons are back in action on Sunday when the Falcons play in Arizona against the Cardinals. The Cardinals are 3-11, while the Falcons commit the matchup at 5-9. Bundle auto and home, renters or condo, and save with Progressive. I'm John Thayer with the Sports Flash, presented by Progressive on 93.9 The Score. One of Macy's most wonderful holiday perks is happening right now. Macy's Money. It's only once a year, and it's a chance for everyone to earn rewards.

Shop at any Macy's store, and you'll earn $10 in Macy's Money for every $50 you spend. No sign-ups or memberships. Just earn automatically on everything you buy. It's that easy. So get that party dress, then use the Macy's Money for someone else on your list. From the 18th to the 24th. Hurry in. Your chance to earn Macy's Money ends Wednesday. Exclusions apply. See store for details. Wesley Financial Group is not a law firm. I'm Chuck McDowell, founder of Wesley Financial Group. Did you buy a timeshare because they told you it was a great investment?

That's a lie. Most timeshares can be bought online for a dollar. To find out what your timeshare is worth and to cancel it, call us today, and we'll send you our timeshare exit kit free with all your options for cancellation. Call Wesley for your free exit info guide. 800-885-3333. That's 800-885-3333. The score. Now, back with Boomo Bugg on 93.9 The Score. The score. Welcome back in. He is a busy boy down in T-Town. Ryan Fowler, host of the game on Tide 109 FM afternoons in Tuscaloosa.

Ryan, welcome in. Just over 24 hours. Alabama Crimson Tide football team and fans getting ready to go storming into Norman. Are you ready for the shootout at the O.K. Corral? I think so. I think so. I'll tell you what. I've been doing push-ups all week, and I'm ready. I'll tell you, I'm stronger than I've ever been. I'm a guy that, listen, listen, listen, listen, I'd hate to know they had to count on me, but yeah, they, I, I, I, I have been, and I'm going to, I'm going to try to box Kaylin the ball in, because I think I've got one year of eligibility, and I tell you what, I think I'm, I want to be a holder is what I think I'm going to be.

I think I can do that job, because you ain't got to run, you ain't got to chase anybody. Yeah. Yeah, I mean, I think, I think I could do that job. That's the only job that I think I could do. You know what, Ryan, you joke about that, but that could be a big job tomorrow night, because the temperature looks to be pretty good. But, but this is Oklahoma where the wind blows on the plains out there. That, that could be a bigger factor than what we are thinking about here on a Thursday.

But your, your thoughts, starting with, you mentioned doing the pushups, it could be worse than you. It could be Brett and I having to spell some of these guys, but what are you hearing as far as the MASH report? Starting, what we're seeing in a way, a change of maybe some good news for Bama at the tight end spots for the Nests. Yeah, it looks like that Josh Cuevas at this point is, is going to be available. And that confirms with everything. And I've been able to hear from practice.

It's not just on a piece of paper. I think that's one of the things that you've got to, you know, you got to look back and kind of understand that's a, you know, it's a big part of the topic of conversation with Josh Cuevas. And I think when you look back, I think he had six catches, 80 yards in that game of the first time against Oklahoma. But, but he's just such a, the part that I think that we underestimate with him is his ability to be able to chip and to be able to block and help when, when, when they need it.

And so I think that's a, that's a big part. I think it's an important part for him. And it's something that I think that we will, you know, we'll keep an eye on when you look at how effective he is early on and how big of a part of the game that he can go. But it seems like that Alabama from a health standpoint is probably in the best shape that they've been in, in quite a while. It's been a little bit. It's been a little bit since this team has been healthy.

[1:40:21] They've been grinding through a lot of different things, but it just feels like this team, Jam Miller. You know, if you offered me what I've heard this week, last week, what I've heard this week compared to last week, I'm going, okay, can you get Jam back and how effective can he be? Because that was a big question. Can you get Josh Quavers? It seems like really, other than LT Overton, you really haven't got a lot of negative news coming around the injury standpoint. It seems like everybody, you know, maybe it's time we stop and say the MVP of this team could be our friend, Jeff Allen.

And the other thing, Ryan, I mentioned, I said tidy in spots. I'm seeing where Danny Lewis may also be available. And people say, well, who's that? If you go back in, if you talk with the folks in the know, this guy may not put up big numbers catching, but apparently he is money when it comes to blocking. Yes, he is. Yes, he is. And he is, you know, one tough son of a gun. I think when you start looking at, you know, Danny Lewis being able to provide some there, it's better than the alternative.

And the alternative is two freshmen and Edwards and Pritchett. So you step back and you begin to analyze this football team. They need every piece of the puzzle on the field to be able to beat Oklahoma. Defensively, you know, this team is going to throw some challenges. Don't be shocked if you see a lot of up-tempo, a lot of things that they're going to do fast-paced. Because I think they're going to try to… You remember the old days when Coach Saban had these aggressive fronts? And the only way that you can isolate them is go straight at them.

Because you don't have to worry about them making a play if you go straight at them. And I've seen Coach Saban do that. I think that's what they're going to do. And really, that's what they did, other than the turnovers. I mean, they had 100 yards. And if you look at Oklahoma rushing attack, they didn't give up any total 100 yards. They used to track the sack numbers, it's down to 80. But they did rush for 100 yards against these guys. When you look at just the effectiveness of the back and going into that game, that was a big positive, other than the turnovers.

And they doubled them up on yardage. So Alabama did have some success. You know, can Dye Simpson get in that groove? Can he get in that groove and be able to be the quarterback that we saw in the early part and in the middle part of the season, you know, and get back and lead this team to a championship? And Ron, we all want to talk about improving the anemic running game. And I'm like you, if they run for 100 yards, I think they've got a good chance to win this game.

But we were joking with you about holding your future career. Special teams really helped lose this game in Tuscaloosa. Had a punt hit off of Jalen in Bocquese. Oklahoma recovered it, which led to a field goal. Connor Talti missed a chip shot field goal and had his iconic meltdown. And then a 42-yard punt return set up another field goal. And Bama's got to be better in special teams. Well, I'll tell you what, I spent just a couple of minutes ago going through the numbers on special teams.

Can you name one special teams category that they're in the top seven or eight in the league in? No. No. No. Point after touchdown. That's the only thing. It's the only thing. Guys, I'm not trying to pick on something, but it's been a thorn. It's been a problem. And it's really been across the board, right? It's not been, you know, I think I was looking a couple seconds ago. Punning is, I think it's dead. It's not dead last. Is it last in the SEC? Okay, I knew you were trending in that direction.

Yes. Yeah, so it's dead last in the SEC. Field goal kicking is, I think, 14 out of 16, or maybe it's 15 out of 16. It's that punt returns, kickoff returns. You know, they're down below 10. I mean, guys, it's been a, you know, we talk about, you know, pressure, you know, early on. It was all about Kane Womack's defense. We talk about Ryan Grubb's offense. You know, I think you've got to be fair and start talking about Jay Nunez as the special teams coordinator. Because at this point, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if they left him in Oklahoma where they found him.

Oh, M-I-A, right? Ryan, speaking of Ryan, will Ryan Williams show up in this game? I think he's going to be a part of the package. I think he's got a lot of things that they're going to try to use to get him the football. And I think he needs to be for Alabama to win the football game. I think that's a, you know, that's a situation where, you know, you miss the opportunity. Auburn, you still got the win. You won six in a row over those guys, but he was not a part of the game plan.

[1:45:34] If you had to walk out of that stadium, yes, you got the win, and it was nice to get that win. But you're going, where's Ryan Williams? Because I think everybody that knows, he's got to be a part of this offensive game plan going forward. If Alabama's going to be able to make a little bit of a run. I mean, he's one of the best players in college football. You got to try to find a way to get into football. And, you know, I wonder, you know, big players come up on big stages.

And when there's been a big stage, he's been there. He's been there, you know, for key victories for Alabama. You almost wonder if he can be that guy. If he can just not have any drops. And I was told earlier today of someone, I got a guy that makes milkshakes across the street at Jaxx, and he watches practice for me. He gives me a lot of practice. He goes on top of the roof during his lunch break, and he watches the majority of the practice. Well, no, you guys, anybody's ever been to Tuscaloosa, Jaxx, that's right across the street.

That's right. And a hamburger and a pair of monoculars, you're in business, you know? Oh, yeah. Well, he told me he has not seen Ryan Williams drop one pass in practice. Now, I don't know if that can carry over to the game, but it is something to keep an eye on when you look at it. And we'll see if he can be a big part of this game plan. But I do think it's the plan to get him to football, and I think it's, you know, a lot of those quick intermediate throws.

We'll see if he can be a part of the game. Will the equipment manager pack some Velcro for Ty Simpson? He needs to. He needs to because, and I know Ty, you know, it stains because he had such a fast start. And, you know, when you look back at the interceptions, I mean, it's the momentum that he had. He could have been in New York City for that Heisman campaign this past weekend. But it was just, you know, the slide, the regression was there. And you can't, you know, you can sit here and try to spin it in a lot of different ways.

But at the end of the day, you know, we're in a production-oriented business. And the production has not been there for whatever case. Some of that's the offensive line. Some of that's because of the absence of the running back, wide receivers, tight ends. I mean, it's a – but it always falls, right? I mean, even when he's getting the compliments, he's getting the praise. Quarterback gets all the fault and all the praise. And certainly it falls on Ty Simpson. He knows that just as well as anybody.

We're going to see if we're going to see a different Ty Simpson. They've been fairly effective in the SEC on the road. We'll see if this team rallies behind their quarterback. Ryan, I think this game's going to be special for Deontay Lawson. He suffered a season-ending injury last year, an ACL in Norman, leads the team in tackles with 75. He has been the player a lot of people thought he could, as far as reaching his potential, second half of the season. Got off to a slow start.

I'm going to be curious to see how well he plays against Oklahoma tomorrow night. Yeah, it will be. It will be. It will be. I think that's another one. Think about the game that he's had when you look at emerging as a big-time part of this leadership. Saul, he's been an effective part of just this team rallying, this defense. And I know we praise Oklahoma. I think you're going to see Alabama's defense rise to the occasion, too. Now, listen, you're going up against an offense that's really struggled.

And who knows? Maybe they've been able to self-scout, find some tendencies, and fix some issues. But Alabama's defense is not something that you just throw away. I mean, this is a top defense. I think you're going to see these two teams. And Vegas believes in it, too, because I think they've got that line at about 41-and-a-half on the over-under. And, yeah. We're on a Thursday. Ryan, what is – look at this. He's talking about Vegas. I think Oklahoma opened a point-and-a-half favorite. Then it swaned to Alabama, a point-and-a-half favorite.

Earlier today, Oklahoma was back to a point-and-a-half favorite. It's now not available. Basically, it's pick them. Ryan, go ahead and pick them. How's this baby going to turn out tomorrow night? Well, the public is generally wrong. The public is generally wrong. They won the first time, weren't they? Well, and I think Alabama is the underdog. We've seen that move from – I'm looking at it currently right now. It's moved. I mean, it's moved significant. It takes a lot of money to move. Bruce Marshall can tell you that.

Oh, yeah. And we're going to have him on this afternoon. I like Alabama to win the game. There's just something different about this five in Tuscaloosa. And who knows? Who knows where it'll be? But I like Alabama to get the job done. I think it's a one-possession game in the fourth quarter. And we'll see if Alabama can win the game. I think it can go either way. I think this is a 50-50 game. And we'll see. That's what it's supposed to be when you get to the college football playoffs.

Absolutely. I think this team's much healthier, and hopefully they've had a reset. You mentioned Bruce Marshall, our good buddy, who's on with us on Tuesday. Who else is on your show? And where can we get online to listen to it? And, by the way, we, as you well know, we cherish our relationship with you. Have a great Christmas. I know a lot of people are going to be off next week. Enjoy it. Remember the reason for the season. And where can we get online to get all your stuff?

[1:51:02] Yeah, absolutely. Tide109.com. We'll start it coming up here in just a couple of minutes. And we'll have a great couple of days. We're going to be off tomorrow because of our game day all-day coverage with CBSN. So we're going to hand off some days. My final day, and I can relax a little bit. I've got three days off next week. I don't know what I'm going to do with myself. Wishing everybody a big Merry Christmas. We've got a lot of crossover with the audience that listens to you guys.

And they were aggravating me earlier today. I've got a big Auburn friend that lives up in you guys' area. So happy holidays. Merry Christmas to all you guys, even the Auburn cats. And I hope you guys enjoy your boat for a time and where you're going. It's that time of the year for the cruise, the big group hug. Ryan, let's do safe holidays, and let's do it again as soon as possible, okay? Sounds good. Thank you guys so much. See you, bud. The one, the only, Ryan Fowler.

Quickly, UNA got a brand-new offensive coordinator announced earlier today. Travis Partridge coming down from Bowling Green. We'll rejoin Coach Brent and Jeremy's staff. They've been together along the coaching trail. So Travis Partridge, the new UNA offensive coordinator, BB. I think that's going to be a good partnership. They've worked together and certainly feel comfortable with each other. That's going to take care of this for today. On behalf of BB, Greg, James Blair, the entire crew here. Parole Buck, thank you so much for your time today. That's doing it again tomorrow on noon to two with a boom old bug show.

Back here on Sports Radio, 93.9 to score.